East Side, West Side 1949

     Brandon and Jeesie Bourne have had a long and apparently happy marriage.  Several years earlier, Brandon had an affair with a younger woman, Isabel Lorrison.  She was out of the country for a while but she has returned to New York.  She intends to re-kindle her relationship with Brandon.  The Bournes have recovered from Brandon’s infidelity but this may be another and a deeper blow to their marriage?  Jessie meets Mark Dwyer, he is a former policeman and now he is a writer.  He has just returned from a secret mission in Italy.  Mark doesn’t want Jessie to go through another rough patch again.

     Brandon Bourne has a LOT of confidence, he thinks he can lie, cheat and hurt Jessie again plus get away with it for a second time??  He doesn’t realize that he’s really a heel, a skunk and a low down one at that!!  This time Mark is there to help Jessie through this.  He shows her that she’s better and above this kind of treatment for a second time!!  And, she didn't deserve it the first time!!  4* (I really liked this movie)  

108 min, Drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy with Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Helfin, Ava Gardner, Cyd Charisse, Nancy Reagan, Gale Sondergaard, William Conrad, Raymond Greenleaf, Douglas Kennedy, Beverly Michaels, William Frawley, Lisa Golm Tom Powers.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 72% audience, Letterboxd average review 3.3* out of 5*, Amazon 6.9* out of 5* with 11 reviews, JourneysInClassicFilm.com 5*.

 

Special Note:  Beverly Michaels is in the role of Felice Backett and she is the wife of Academy Award winning screenplay writer Russell Rouse and the mother of Academy Award winning film editor Christopher Rouse.  Gale Sondergaard plays Barbara Stanwyck’s mother in this film.  She was 50 years old at the time of filming and Stanwyck was 42?  Sondergaard did not act again for 20 years!!  She was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.  The performance of this film at the box office was only fair.  MGM earned a small profit of $31,000 ($317,000 in 2017) according to studio records.  An article in the September 29, 1947 issue of The Hollywood Reporter stated that MGM paid $200,000 ($2.35million in 2018) for the film rights for this movie.  Originally, Greer Garson, Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert were considered for the lead roles in this film.